Municipalities and counties are collecting and recycling hundreds of tons of plastic covering used to protect boats from harsh winter weather under a new program introduced by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Lisa P. Jackson.
Every year, tens of thousands of boats in New Jersey are covered in shrink-wrap to protect them from the elements during winter storage. Most often, once the material is removed it is thrown into a Dumpster where it enters the waste stream and winds up in a landfill. Shrink-wrap can be recycled to create more shrink-wrap or it can be used to make plastic bags, plastic lumber and other products.
For more information about the shrink-wrap recycling initiative and to find out which counties are participating in the program, visit the DEP's Web site at:
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/njcleanmarina/update200701.htm For the complete text of the DEP press release about the program visit
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/newsrel/2008/08_0020.htm on the NJ DEP Website
